Forced draft cooling tower



July 9,1946. J. B. BAIRD 2,403,841

FQRCED DRAFT COOLING ITOWE'R I Filed April 25 1945 INVENTOR.

I F i BY% "O& B. BAIR Patented July 9, 1946 John B. Baird, Houston, Tex., assignor to Hudson I Engineering Corporation, Houston, Tex., a, corporation of Texas Application April 23, 1945, Serial No. 589,739

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in forced draft cooling towers.

This invention relates to a cooling tower generally similar in construction to my co-pending application executed April 23, 1945, Ser. No. 589,740, but differing therefrom primarily by the fact that the draft, of air within the cooling tower is forced in from the side of the tower rather than being induced by an exhaust fan. Its general object is to prevent the entry of vapors from the coil shed into the cooling tower.

A further object is to provide a cooling tower through which air is forced by a suitable fan located in an intake opening on one side of the tower, and which will direct a continuous blast of air upwardly to a point of exhaust near the top of the tower, and a part of which blast of air is diverted downwardly to pass over conventional cooling coils and be exhausted at a point on the side of the cooling tower remote fromthe side of entrance of the blast of air.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cooling tower having a forced draft which will cause air to enter the cooling tower and be divided to course upwardly through the tower and downwardly through a coil shed below the tower.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially in vertical cross-section; and I Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Preferably the cooling tower and coil shed structure 2 is made substantially square or rectangular in horizontal cross-section. Two opposite sides of the tower are provided respectively with an air intake opening 4 into the lower end of the cooling tower portion of the structure, and at a point near the bottom of the structure on the opposite side from said air intake with a coil shed exhaust opening 6. Preferably this exhaust opening 6 is covered by suitable spaced-apart slats 8. At the top of the tower 2 the cooling tower exhaust port (not shown) is also provided. 7

Within the cooling tower 2', I may provide a plurality of diagonally positioned spaced-apart battens l4 mounted above a tray l6 which is adapted to catch water after it has been cooled and as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Near the top of the tower 2, water is introduced and is discharged within the tower by use of suitable sprayheads (not shown) so that the sprayed water may course downwardly past the battens and becooled by air passing upwardly around the battens on its way to the exhaust port in the upper part of the tower. A large percentage of this water which passes downwardly through the battens will be cooled by this draft of air passing upwardly to the exhaust port at the top of the tower and will drop by force of gravity and be collected within the tray I6 beneath the battens, from whence it may be discharged through suitable spray head's (not shown) preferably located behind or below the cross-member 18.

An opening 20 is provided along one edge of the tray l6 inclose proximity to the fan l2 so that a portion of the air being drawn in by the fan 12 will be diverted downwardly through the opening 20 in the tray l6 and will pas around the cooling coils 22 until it is exhausted through exhaust opening 6, passing through the openings between the slats 8. The cooled water from within the tray l6 passes through suitable spray heads located behind the cross-member l8 in a relatively fine spray, thus cooling the cooling coils 22 and the fluid contained therein. Much of this spray or mist is rapidly vaporized in the coil shed. However, air from the fan l2 will be forced downwardly through the opening 29, and

25 through the coil shed, taking the vapors from the coil shed out through the opening 6 at a location remote from the cooling tower in intake opening 4, so that this vapor cannot be drawn into the tower. Water falling from the coils in the coil 'shed is collected in the base 24 beneath the tower. From the base the Water may be removed and recirculated from the top of the tower as described.

Having described my invention, 1- claim:

1. A cooling tower and coil shed combination including a housing, an air intake fan at one side thereof, a tower exhaust port in said housing remote from said fan, a coil shed exhaust port in said housing also remote fromthe said fan, a water collecting tray separating the upper cooling tower portion of said housing from the lower coil shed portion thereof, and cooling coils beneath the said collecting tray, the said tray having an opening therethrough at a point close to the said intake fan, said opening being so potioned and of such size as to by-pass a material portion of the air'stream from said fan onto the subjacent coils.

2. In a cooling tower and coil shed combination, a housing, an air intake fan at one side thereof, a tower exhaust port in said housing remote from said fan, a coil shed exhaust port in said housing also remote from said fan, a water 4 collecting tray within the tower eparating the upp r cooling tower portion of said housing from the lower coil shed portion thereof, cooling coils beneath the said collecting tray, and an opening through the said tray at a point approximately beneath the said intake fan, said opening being so positioned and of such size as to bypass a material portion of the air stream from said fan onto the subjacent coils.

3. In a;co o1i;ng2 tower-and cpilj shedf combina: tion, a housing; an air intake fan at one side thereof, a tower exhaust port at the top of said housing, a. coil shed exhaust port near the bottom of said housing at, a position remote-from said fan, battens arranged approximately hori- JOHN B. BAIRD. 

